Putting Away the Past and Picking up the Pieces
by ButterflyMeadow
Summary: Leo/Don brotherly fluff, two-shot, TMNT-verse. On a night two years ago, the eldest Turtle brother left for training, putting most of his responsibility on the shoulders of his genius brother. When he returns, he finds his family in a state he must fix.
1. The Night Leonardo Left: For Two Years

**A/N: Again, a Leo/Don brotherly fluff ficlet XD I've been inspired by **_**MarietheManiac**_**—if you like my brotherly fluff ficlets, you should read hers! :) So, on with the story! This takes place in the CGI-movie-verse (where I think there was **_**barely**_** any Donatello :\). Different POVs, and it'll be a two-shot.**

**Disclaimer: TMNT is now owned by Viacom/Nickelodeon . . . not me.**

**Putting Away the Past and Picking up the Pieces**

**By Meerca aka Butterfly Meadow**

**Chapter 1: The Night Leonardo Left: For Two Years**

_**Donatello's POV**_

My whole world shattered in a single night.

It had happened a couple of years ago, maybe longer, when Mikey and I were only twelve, but almost teenagers, and Leo and Raph had recently turned thirteen. I was tinkering away at something (I don't even remember what anymore) in the room Leo and I shared. I'd gotten thirsty, so I left my work temporarily to get a glass of water. Before I reached the refrigerator, my eldest brother Leonardo confronted me.

"Donnie, Father and I need to discuss something with you," he said, a note of urgency present in his voice. Thinking it was a discussion about how late I stayed up, I followed Leo into Father's dojo without question.

Our father, Master Splinter, was kneeling before a wooden table. Leo and I sat down in front of him. I bowed to Sensei respectfully and asked, "Yes, Father?"

"Donatello, I will need you to take Leonardo's position as leader."

The abrupt statement struck me like a million-ton anvil.

"I am sorry for alerting you of this so suddenly, my son, but time is short for us. Leonardo will be leaving for Central America tonight."

"Wha . . . but why?" I asked, my mouth hanging open stupidly.

"I need special training, Don," Leo said, firmly but gently. "Special training so that I can be a better leader to all of you."

I couldn't believe my ears. "Leo, you're already a great leader, better off than me! You don't—"

My eldest brother shook his head. "No, Donnie. I'm not enough of a great leader. I have to get better, or we could be in trouble."

I turned to Sensei helplessly. "Father, you can't be agreeing to this—"

Master Splinter's brown eyes shone with compassion, and he put a furry brown paw on my shoulder. "Donatello, I know it is hard for you to hear this, but your older brother finds need to do it."

"But how long will you be gone, Leo?" I looked at my eldest brother pleadingly.

Leo averted my eyes. "It depends. A few weeks, maybe."

"A few _weeks?_ Father, I can't be the leader for _weeks_!" I cried.

"It is only momentarily, until Leonardo returns," Sensei told me softly. "You are our only hope, my son."

"What Father means is that Raph and Mikey obviously can't be the leader," Leo corrected, a small smile on his face. "Raph would make rash decisions while Mikey would just go crazy. Donnie, you're levelheaded and intelligent and you know your stuff. I'm sure you can lead the other two without a problem."

"I can't control Raph and Mikey!" I argued, trying to do anything I could to stop Leo from leaving. "I'm not the type who can force people to fall into my command, and you know that!"

"There won't be much leading to do," Leo tried to reassure me. "You'll be fine, Donnie."

I was trying to formulate solid contradictions in my mind when Leo stood. "I should get going, Father."

My mind was screaming _NO!_ as Master Splinter stood, too. "Very well, Leonardo." My eldest brother hugged our father, who placed a tender kiss on his forehead. "I hope you have a safe journey."

Everything was falling to pieces before my eyes; into razor-sharp jagged pieces that were stabbing my heart. Leo turned to me and wrapped his arms around me, like he when we were younger. "See you around, then, Donnie."

My eyes were prickling with tears. This can't have been happening! "Leo, you can't leave! I can't lead Mikey and Raph, and—and I can't bear living without _you_!"

Leo smiled and wiped away the tears I didn't think were falling. "It's going to be hard for all of us, Donnie. But I'll be back."

I buried my face into my big brother's chest. "I can't do it, Leo, I just_ can't_!"

Leo paused as he stroked my head, then said, "Think of it this way, Donnie: you aren't doing it for yourself, you're doing it for me."

I was quiet, then sighed. I wouldn't let Leo down. I looked into Leo's dark chocolate eyes and smiled. "Fine, Leo . . . but you had better come back fast!"

"That's how I like to see my little brother," Leo smiled, too. He hugged me again. "I'll love you, Donnie. Tell Raph and Mikey that I said bye and that I love them, okay?"

"I will, Leo. Bye."

"Bye."

Leo bowed to Sensei and me and exited the dojo. The sound of the door to our lair closing and taking our eldest brother away from us was what triggered my tears again. Sensei looked at me sympathetically. "Donatello . . ."

"I'm sorry, Father, I need to go. Good night!" I ran from Master Splinter's dojo, my breath coming in heavy gasps and tears streaming down my face. I came to a halt at Leo's bed, with its neatly folded blue sheets that wouldn't be used for weeks. I collapsed onto Leo's bed, the scent of incense and candles that was he surrounding me as if he were still there. That aroma only made me weep harder. Eventually, I cried myself to sleep.

I woke up the following morning, willing myself not cry. I would begin my leadership in honor of Leo. In considerably high spirits, I did my morning routine and walked out to our den. I immediately met Raph's glare.

"So, yer our fearless leader now," he said bitterly, rolling his caramel hazel eyes sarcastically. "Congrats on yer _promotion_, brainiac."

This was exactly why I hadn't wanted to be the leader. I had no way to stop Raph from insulting me without sounding bossy or rude. But I thrived off the fact that Leo would be back in a few weeks.

Ha ha, very funny, Leonardo. I recall you said you'd be gone for a _few weeks_. Does _two years_ count as a few weeks? I don't think so! I've been stuck with Raph's injured pride and sick cynicism for _two whole years._ And guess what? As I'd said, I can't manage him _at all_; at least Mikey does some things I say without much complaint. Raph sleeps all day, and at night (though he thinks I don't know it), he fights crime as an armored turtle with sais and spike ball chains called the Nightwatcher. I can't do anything about it, and I don't complain to Father because he has to deal with his own problems. I've been trying to cope by setting up an IT Tech Support, while Mikey is entertaining kids at parties as Cowabunga Carl because we need money to support our family. Pfft. Some leader _I_ am.

You don't even _write_, Leo. You completely disappeared after that night that you left. You said your family was the most important thing to you. What's this, then? We don't show it, but we are _hurting_, Leo. Raph, Mikey, and I have strayed far away from each other. Poor Sensei tries to get us back together, and trust me, I do, too . . . but I think we've strayed _too_ far. Our family has fallen apart without you, and I think you're the only one who can bring us back. You need to come back, big brother—and bring our family back together.

**A/N: Chapter 2 will be out tomorrow! R&R!**


	2. The Night Leonardo Returned: Healing

**A/N: And here's chapter 2, as promised! It's a little based off the CGI movie, but with some adjustments.**

**Disclaimer: If TMNT **_**were **_**mine . . . there'd be a lot more Leo/Don fluff X3**

**Putting Away the Past and Picking up the Pieces**

**Chapter 2: The Night Leonardo Returned: Healing**

_**Donatello's POV**_

I groaned as I switched off my headset and powered off my computer, leaning back in my office chair and running a hand over my face. Today had been a particularly frustrating day; first, some idiot called and said his computer wasn't working. Why? Because he hadn't even turned it on! And to make it worse, I called him 'sir'—only to realize that _he_ was a _she_! My customer was so irritated that she just hung up.

Then, Raph came out of his room (it was a miracle; he usually doesn't stir at all in the morning. Trust me, it isn't a bad thing). Whenever he sees me, he starts being sardonic. And today was no different. I couldn't help it and snapped at him, which made him madder. He was about to punch me in the face when Sensei told him off. If it weren't for Sensei, I'd have a black eye right about now.

Well, one of the good things that had happened was that my only younger brother, Michelangelo, had brought in a hundred dollars from entertaining a rather . . . rowdy bunch of kids. Mikey told me the whole story, and I was nearly in tears of laughter by the end of it. The supervisor of the party was apologetic and gave Mikey twenty bucks more for the trouble.

I rubbed my eyes and put my headset back on my desk. I always rounded off my days with some reading; it was calming and helped me sleep easy. So I stood up, stretched, and ambled out of Leo's and—I mean, my room. I stopped just in time to see my red-masked older brother, Raphael, walk from our den to our garage. I sighed. _Raph's going to play Nightwatcher again. Why am I not surprised._ My 'leader instincts' were telling me to stop Raph, but I quickly decided against it. It would only cause me some injuries and more stress for Master Splinter.

I waited until Raph was out of sight, and then entered the den. Mikey was engrossed in his Nintendo DS Lite, playing a new Pokémon game Casey and April had bought him last week. He hadn't even noticed Raph passing. Not that Mikey cared where Raph went. He was a huge fan of the Nightwatcher, but had no clue that his idol was, in fact, his older brother. I was the only one who'd noticed Raph's bruises and always-damaged motorcycle.

"Hey, Don!" Mikey greeted, his big sky blue eyes shining. "I just beat the fifth Gym Leader, Fantina!"

"That's great, Mikey," I told him, smiling. There was something about Mikey that always put a grin on my face. The two of us had gotten closer lately, since our two older brothers were always gone. Mikey only had one older brother left, and I intended to be the best older brother I could to him. "Where's Father?"

"He's meditating, like always," Mikey answered indifferently, tapping at the touch screen with his stylus. "Any more cranky dudes on the phone?"

"No, thankfully." I picked up the book I'd been chipping away at recently: _The Andromeda Strain_ by Michael Crichton. It was just getting interesting, too. I opened the book and began to read as Mikey turned back to his DS. The intense battle music actually started acting as a lullaby to me, and I soon began to drift off into sleep . . .

_That night . . ._

"Hey, rise 'n' shine. Fearless Leader's back."

I woke with a start as the book on top of my face was smacked off. Rubbing my eyes, I was about to tell Raph off for making me lose my page when what he'd said sank in. _Did he just say . . . that . . ._ I looked up, all traces of my weariness gone, to see Mikey happily embracing our eldest brother.

"Leo . . . ?" I said faintly, rising from my seat. Leonardo turned to me, a gentle smile on his face. I couldn't believe it. The brother I hadn't seen for two whole years was standing right in front of me. He seemed to have grown a couple inches, but other than that, he was the same. The same double katana, the same blue mask . . . and the same dark chocolate eyes full of compassion.

Happiness clouded my senses as I ran into Leo's arms like a toddler to his mother. "Leo! I can't believe you're here!"

Leo returned my hug, chuckling. "Hey, Donnie. Did you get taller?"

I laughed. "A little, I guess. I didn't notice, really."

"You, Mikey, and especially Raph look taller." Leo kissed my forehead. "I missed you, little brother. How did things go here?"

At mention of that, my happiness evaporated faster than water on the Sun. But I didn't show Leo. "It went well!" I lied, maybe a little too fast.

"Donnie was the right one to choose to be leader!" Mikey secretly shot me an understanding grin, and I just wanted to kiss him. "He was great!"

Leo smiled. "I knew I picked the right one for the job. I told you that you'd be fine, Donnie."

I just laughed and smiled, but inside, I was becoming a mess. Now that Leo was back, I was out of being the leader, but what would ensue with Raph—and his Nightwatcher business—was not going to be good.

But right now, all that mattered was that Leo was back.

_The Next Morning . . ._

When I woke up, I looked across the room at Leo's bed, which had its sheets changed to a mint green. It just proved that I hadn't been dreaming; Leo was actually back. Extremely happy, I jumped out of bed and did my morning schedule. Literally skipping out of the room, I went into the kitchen to see Mikey, Raph, and Leo eating Rice Krispies and milk. Seeing Raph glaring at Leo only made my fears from the previous night return.

"Good morning, Donatello."

"Good morning, Father." I smiled and bowed to Master Splinter, who sauntered off to the den to watch his daily morning soaps.

"Hey, Donnie," Leo smiled.

"Mornin'," Raph grunted.

"G'mornin'!" Mikey managed through a mouthful of cereal and milk.

"Hi, guys," I responded, taking a bowl and spoon and sitting down at the table. I poured myself a mound of Rice Krispies and doused them with milk.

"It's noon, Donnie," Leo remarked. "Did you start waking up late since I was gone?"

"I didn't get much sleep last night, actually." I put a spoonful of milk and cereal in my mouth. No need to elaborate.

"Figures," Raph muttered.

We were quiet as we ate. Sometimes, I'd catch Raph glowering at me, which just tested my patience. But I stayed silent; I didn't want Leo to suspect anything.

About ten minutes later, I finished the last of my brunch and joined my brothers in the den, where Mikey was reading a comic and Leo was sparring with Raph. Sensei was absorbed in his soap. I sat down at my desk and started up my IT Tech Support Service; I'd _finally_ have a day off tomorrow. Almost immediately, I had a call.

"Uh, hello? I need some help with saving a file on my computer . . ."

I sighed and began to explain. This was going to be a _long_ day.

_Later That Evening . . ._

With the last call flying out of my mind, I quickly shut down my computer and turned to see what my brothers were doing. All three seemed to be waiting for something.

"Done for the day, Don?" Mikey asked. I nodded, wondering what they were waiting for.

"It's been a long time, so I want to do a training run." Yup, Leo was fitting back into his leader role perfectly. But I was glad.

"No problem, Leo. I'll just go grab my bo staff . . ." I ran into Leo's and my room to retrieve my trusty wooden pole.

In a matter of minutes, we were on the rooftops, like the old times. I hadn't realized how much I missed fresh air. Feeling revitalized, I did a few moves with my bo staff. Mikey was spinning his nunchucks and attacking invisible enemies.

"So, why're we up here again, Fearless?" Raph asked, twirling his sais absentmindedly.

"While I've been gone, I've heard that the crime rate went up." Leo suddenly grimaced. "And that a Nightwatcher character has been spotted fighting crime here."

"Maybe dat's 'cause we were sittin' on our butts all day doin' nothin'!" Raph retorted scornfully, especially sending a look at me. "At least he was tryin' ta keep things normal around here!"

"Hey, do you guys hear that?" Leo and Raph stopped bickering, and we all heard a strange growling and some yelling, too.

"We're gonna check it out." Raph was on his way before Leo could stop him. Sighing, we all followed our hotheaded brother.

_That Night . . ._

I collapsed onto Leo's bed, wincing as I adjusted my shoulder. We'd tangled with some sort of monster—and the Foot! The Foot fled before we could ask any questions, but the monster definitely left its mark. Just more to add to my list of worries. The fact that Leo and Raph were fighting didn't help, either.

Leo entered the bedroom, mumbling and rubbing his arm. _That can't be good._ "Raph doesn't listen to a single order that I tell him . . . he's such a hothead . . ."

It just reminded me of how much trouble I had with Raph. I was surprised to feel wetness behind my eyelids.

"Don?" Leo peered at me, the anger in his eyes replaced with concern. "Are you okay? Is something hurting?"

I shook my head and looked down at my lap. "Just tired."

Leo was quiet, then said, "Okay, I know something's wrong, Don. Why's Raph been glaring at you? Did everything _really_ go okay while I was gone?"

The wetness in my eyes only got worse. "Of course it did!"

"Donnie, don't lie to me."

I sighed. "Okay, Leo. So Raph didn't exactly . . . listen to me."

A pause. "Meaning?"

Before I knew it, everything was spilling out. "Leo, Raph didn't listen to a word I told him! He was arrogant and sarcastic all the time! It was like he was jealous that you chose _me_ to lead while you were gone! I didn't tell anyone, afraid of what would happen! And Leo, I had to live with that attitude for _two years_! I don't know how I survived! Our whole family fell apart! Leo, you said you'd be gone for a few weeks! But you were gone for about a hundred times as much! And now I'm afraid about what's going to happen now that you're back! I'm afraid Raph'll let out all his rage on you! I'm afraid that—"

"Shh, easy, Donnie." I stopped, wiping my eyes on the back of my hand. Leo was giving me a gentle, reassuring look. "I kind of knew that Raph would act like that. I'm sorry I was gone for so much longer than I'd said, and I'm _extremely_ sorry that you had to put up with Raph's attitude for that long. I know how hard it must have been for you. Especially since you don't like violence." Leo pulled me into his arms. "Forgive me, Donnie?"

"Of course I forgive you, Leo," I told him without hesitation. "But Raph—"

"Look, Donnie . . . you know Raph. He likes excitement and fighting. Since I was gone, he couldn't do anything, so he vented it out on you. He doesn't know how else to control his anger."

"But what if he—"

"I know that he'll probably vent out some of his rage on me, too, Donnie. But I'll find a way to fix this, I promise." I guess I still looked apprehensive, because Leo added, "Don't you trust your big brother?"

I let out a shaky breath. "I do, Leo, but—"

"No more buts, Donnie," Leo said sternly, letting me go. "For now, let's just get some rest."

"Okay, fine."

I hesitated before going to my bed, and Leo then smiled and said, "Do you want to sleep here?"

Blushing a little, I nodded. Leo made room for me, and I lay down, minding my shoulder. "I'll make everything right again," Leo told me again, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my forehead. "Your big brother is here, Donnie, so you don't have to worry."

I smiled, realizing how much I had missed Leo's embrace. "Okay, Leo." I drifted off into the best sleep I'd had in years, Leo's presence soothing me and assuring me that everything would be all right and back to normal.

And needless to say, my big brother did just that.

**A/N: And there it is! Please R&R!**


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